Ajitar
by cosmic-divinity
Summary: Ajin Avatar au: set 15 years since the death of the last Avatar. When Kei accidentally earth bends to save him and Kai from an accident, he has two choices: run or be captured by the nation he called home. Now, he's running with Kai as far as they can, but the Fire Nation isn't far behind.
1. Chapter 1

The halls and war rooms bustled with activity. It was midday and most were taking to afternoon tea or breaking for lunch. It was a routine Kei would usually be a part of, that was, until yesterday. Apparently, a top general wasn't too keen on "being made an ass" in front of the other officers and advisors. Kei shrugged it off as he aimlessly wandered the now empty halls and terraces of the main city. Everyone was busy working, while he suddenly found his schedule quite open. His mother was a brilliant healer and so could get into a few war meetings. Kei was following after her in profession but also had a knack for strategy, and the discussions in the war rooms always drew him in. He had gone so often that they started asking for his input on certain battle strategies. Of course, Kei jumped at the chance, but yesterday had been different. Things were becoming tense in the political sphere. News had spread quickly of the death of the last Avatar at the time of his death about fifteen years ago. The fire nation had been scrambling ever since since it was known from the cycle that the next Avatar would be a fire bender, born into the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation was a powerhouse of industry and war machines. They were hellbent on finding the new Avatar and using them for their own gains. Unfortunately, Kei had made the mistake of apparently insulting a general's strategy, and now he found himself with a lot of free time.

He absent mindingly flicked his middle finger against his thumb, producing a small flame when he'd do so. He admitted that he wasn't the most physically strong fire bender, but he had strategy and skill on his side. This allowed him to excel in combat to the point where other fire benders were a bit afraid of him. It seemed like when he was heading in someone's direction along the street, they'd avoid him at all costs. Well, that was everyone except for Kaito.

"Hey, Kei!" Kei turned slightly when he heard the familiar voice and stomping footsteps that indicated that he was indeed running over.

He couldn't help but wear a smile as he watched his friend waving and running towards him.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you just walking around. Aren't you usually in the war rooms or by the palace?" he asked, slumping a bit as he caught his breath.

"You didn't hear? I got kicked out yesterday. Apparently they don't like hearing opinions from others, especially from a kid."

"Well, that just means you said something so genius they didn't know how to take it," Kai chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm free today too. We should go do something. We could get a bite to eat and maybe I could watch you train. I love seeing you fire bend. It makes me wish I was a bender, but oh well."

"Well, not sure if this helps, but you can still kick my ass even though I can fire bend."

Kei nodded at the invitation and started to walk down the street with Kai. There was a peaceful silence between them as both of them just enjoyed being in each other's company. It was a gorgeous, clear day out. The sun was almost a bit too harsh as it shone brightly in the sky. The streets were bustling with traffic of all different kinds of creatures pulling carts. On a day like this, it was easy for Kei to lose track of exactly where he was going as he let his mind wander elsewhere. He mostly just followed Kai, knowing he already had a place picked out that he wanted to go to.

He had been blissfully following Kai, currently crossing the street when a piercing shriek broke him out of his daze. The two of them froze in the middle of the street, watching in horror as a automobile that looked to be going much faster than the others was careening towards them. Faster than Kei expected, the car was charging right towards them. He knew they should run and get out of the way, but the two seemed frozen in place. Kei hadn't even noticed that he instinctively grabbed onto Kai's hand. He knew there was no possible way they were going to get out of the way in time, so he changed his stance.

"Stay behind me," he whispered to Kai.

When he glanced over again, he let out a soft squeak when it was closer than he expected and instantly threw his arm up as a form of protection, forming a fist even though he knew that wouldn't do him any good.

It seemed like a few minutes had gone by when he heard Kai calling out his name, though it sounded muffled like he was behind a thick curtain. He squinted as the harsh sunlight stung his eyes. It seemed like everything around them was frozen. Cars and people had stopped and gawked over in their direction.

"Kei..look in front of you."

Kei did so slowly and gasped as the earth below them had broken through the street and formed a wall between them and that vehicle which had crashed right into it.

"You..you earth bended? I didn't know you could do that," Kai gasped, walking forward and feeling the earth wall in front of them. "You saved us."

"I didn't know I could, either..but, wait..doesn't that mean?"

His heart skipped a beat as he noticed all the stares. People were whispering amongst each other while some were running towards the palace.

"If I can bend fire and earth..am I? I mean, I can't be..the new avatar?"

By the way things were going around them, he knew once the news got out, the Fire Lord would most certainly not let him go. Ever since Republic City had been growing and becoming more powerful, the individual nations had been much more at peace, though each nation still had its schemes. He didn't know what a life like that would be like, but he wasn't too keen on finding out. His thoughts were broken by Kai grabbing his hand and pulling Kei after him as they started to run.

"Kai, what are you?"

"If you are the new Avatar, then you need to get out of here fast! We need to get to a neutral zone!"

Kei glanced around as Kai pulled him along. Kai didn't dare look back or around at the other people, keeping his eyes forward at the gate he was aiming for. It wasn't long until there were shouts calling for military officials and cries of "the Avatar is here!" It was certainly enough to make things chaotic which was actually quite favorable for the two of them. As people started to crowd the streets, blocking traffic and the officers, Kai and Kei were able to duck down and weave in-between people easily. Soon, the streets were a vast sea of people, some looking around for the one that was the Avatar and others utterly confused and wondering what was happening. To only increase their luck, the guards at the gate had ran inside to see what the commotion was.

"Alright, they won't be this confused for long, so for now, we're going to take advantage of it and get out of here as far as we can get," Kai panted and started to untie the bridal on a Komodo Rhino. "We'll start by commandeering this."

"Can't we just take a vehicle. It'd be faster." Kei looked from the Komodo Rhino to Kai with an unimpressed look.

"Cars can't go off road easily. This is our best way to make it through the terrain without getting spotted."

Kai didn't hesitate to hop on and taking the reins in his hands. He extended a hand out to Kei. Kei was a bit more hesitant. He had a family here and a life. It might not have been the most exciting life every, but it was his. He thought of Eriko and how she seemed to get more ill with each passing day, and his mother too. Of course, if he stayed here, who knows what would happen to him. He'd be under the custody of the Fire Lord.

"Kei!" Kai's sudden shout broke him from his thoughts. "I know you're scared, but there's no time to stand here and think about this. We need to go..now."

With a gulp, Kei begrudgingly agreed and took a hold of Kai's hand, hopping onto the saddle behind him. As the Komodo Rhino started to move, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Kai's torso to secure himself as Kai urged it into a run. They were clearing the outer wall of the city now, turning to take the back roads through the plains and into the forests ahead. Kei watched as the city grew smaller and smaller the further they went.

 _What are you getting so sad for? They would've figured it out eventually._

Kei frowned at the thought. He knew it was true. Even if that incident hadn't had happened, as he grew older, it would've become more apparent that he was different. He had heard that the Fire Lord was thinking of taking in any young boys who could fire bend in the nation and testing them to pick out the Avatar. This was for the best. If he gets captured by the Fire Nation, he'll never be free.

"Kai, um, thanks. You didn't have to help me, you know. You had a job and a life back there too. I feel kind of bad dragging you into this. This is my problem after all," Kei muttered, holding onto him tighter whenever the ride would get bumpy as they ventured further into the wilderness.

"Don't worry about it, Kei. You're my friend after all. I'll always help you and be there no matter what. I promise. Now, we're in this together."

"Sometimes you say the dumbest things," he sighed but chuckled a bit. "Thank you, so what's the plan anyway?"

"The plan? To get as far away from the main city and palace as possible. I don't think we'll be able to get out of the Fire Nation completely in one day, but we can at least take advantage of the confusion and get as far away as we can before they start sending someone after us."

"Who do you think they send once they figure it out?"

"Mm, maybe Prince Tanaka? Hasn't there been something about the Fire Lord wanting him to get more military experience?" Kai asked and took the right side of a fork in the road.

"Possibly. They have been talking about that at least from what I've heard in the war rooms," Kei said. "But they probably won't send him all on his own. They'll probably put a trusted military officer with him. There is one..that they might pick. He's pretty ruthless, but he's good at getting the job done: General Tosaki."

"The name sounds familiar." Kai nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

He occasionally glanced around, ensuring they were alone and not being followed. Kei shivered at the mention of him, remembering hearing him speak in the discussions.

"Yeah, let's just hope it's not him."

They kept riding hard through the afternoon, only stopping if the Komodo Rhino needed water or a quick rest. By dusk, Kei felt like he didn't have a butt as he had been sitting on the saddle all day. As Kai peered up, he saw a few stars beginning to shine in the darkening sky. Looking back, Kei looked absolutely miserable with dark shadows under his eyes. He was leaning heavily on Kai and trying to keep his eyes open.

"Alright, we're going to stop for the night at the next town. I'm guessing if they have found out, the news hasn't left the palace and city yet. They'll want to stop us before we reach Republic City because they know they won't be able to have control of you then."

Kei answered with an exhausted nod and a heavy yawn, resting his head on Kai's shoulder. Kai smiled as he slowed the Komodo Rhino down as they reached the outskirts of the town. Komodo Rhinos were mostly used by Fire Nation soldiers as mounts. Just riding one into this town was bound to attract unwanted attention, so Kai ditched it, having it run off into the forest for someone else to find. He pulled Kei along and into town, going for a small inn. With the money he had on hand, Kai got them a room. As soon as he saw the comfy looking bed, Kei immediately walked over and plopped down on it, thankful to be on solid ground and not on some gigantic beast.

"Thank you, Kai," he said, muffled from his face being buried in the pillow.

It wasn't long until he quickly fell asleep right there, not bothering to take any of his clothes off. Kai chuckled and took his shoes off then pulled Kei's off as he was sleeping.

"Sleep well," he said softly, patting his head before going in on the other side of the large bed and falling asleep, though he kept his small knife handy even as he slept.

The air was tense in the throne room as news had spread quickly about the Avatar. The Fire Lord made sure the information and rumors were kept inside the city for now. It would be a disaster if the other nations found out that the Avatar is out there, possibly crossing the border if not now then very soon.

"They're just kids, my lord. I doubt they've gone very far," Prince Tanaka said as he bowed.

"They may just be kids, but one of them is the Avatar, which is no ordinary kid. Tomorrow at dawn, you will venture out with soldiers of your choosing along with General Tosaki. Find them before they leave our borders and get to Republic City."

"Yes sir." Tanaka bowed once more before taking his leave.

He breathed a sigh of relief once he was back in the hallway, glancing over at Tosaki who had been waiting for him.

"So, our Avatar is Kei Nagai. Amazing that the next Avatar has been living here right under our noses. I vaguely remember him joining in on the meetings." Tosaki glanced through the records and notes they had gathered from eye witnesses.

"I'm having some people talk to Nagai's mother and sister. Like I said, they're just kids. They won't be hard to catch. If these reports are accurate, Nagai earth bended completely on accident. He's a rather proficient fire bender and top of his class. He'll truly be useful to us as an Avatar."

"Indeed, now, we should prepare for starting the mission tomorrow. We should get them as soon as possible before they can go any further. I'll have messenger hawks sent out to the outlying territories and towns. I'll ensure that they won't get far."

"Right, I'll see you tomorrow then."

They bowed to each other and went their separate ways for now. Tanaka was still rather uneasy about all this. They were just kids after all, but the Fire Lord was treating them like enemies of the state. He understood the importance of securing the Avatar, but the Avatar wasn't just some tool to be used. He was a person. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he went on with the preparations.


	2. Chapter 2

Kei was flicking his thumb and forefinger together to produce a flame, a usual habit he did either to pass the time or when he was nervous. He often showed it to Eriko.

"I bet you're a fire bender like me, Eri. Here, try doing this." He showed her how snapping his fingers produced a small flame.

Once, he remembered seeing a tiny spark appear when she tried it once.

"See! You are a fire bender. I'm going to find a way to cure you, so you can practice fire bending with me."

It had been a little over ten years since that memory now. Eriko's condition had only worsened since then. She could only muster the strength to get out of bed about two times a day or so, but Kei still remained hopeful. There had to be a cure out there somewhere. Maybe fleeing to Republic City was a good thing. There were from all over the place there, which meant more chances at finding what he was looking for.

"Hey, Kei. We should get going," Kai interrupted his train of thought, touching his shoulder as he passed by.

"Right," he said and followed after him.

He wore a little smile as he walked through the town with Kai. For a moment, it almost seemed like they were just two friends hanging out and walking around town together, even though in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't true. From the meetings he attended, he knew just how in depth the Fire Nation planned things. There was no doubt that they had a team out hunting for him right now.

"What's the plan now? We'll have to take a boat eventually to get to Republic City."

"Exactly. We're not too far from the sea. We'll hitch a ride to the coast. We're lucky I had just gotten paid before the incident."

Kei nodded, letting Kai take control of the situation and getting them a ride. What caught his eye as he waited outside was a messenger hawk soaring through the sky. In this day, they had telegrams and such for communication, but the Fire Nation, specifically the military, still used messenger hawks, sticking to tradition. His heart lurched when he saw it land in the nearby town hall. He had no doubt it was to warn the mayor of the town about the news. They probably even dug up pictures of him too. His eyes flicked between the town hall and the house Kai was in. He found himself tapping his foot impatiently, mentally pleading for them to hurry up.

"Good news, Kei! We have a ride!" Kai chirped about ten minutes later followed by a middle aged man. "This kind man is going to take us to the coast."

"Oh, great! Thank you, sir," Kei said with a bow, physically relaxing some.

He looked like he was about to break into a sweat with tiny beads of it forming on his forehead. The man showed them to the car he had parked by the side of his house.

"It's rather old, but it hasn't broken down on me ever."

The two of them bowed once more. Kai took the front passenger seat while Kei slouched low in the back, keeping an eye out for more messenger hawks.

"Your friend seems a bit paranoid. You kids aren't in trouble or anything, are you?" the man asked with a suspicious look.

"Of course not. He just..has bad social anxiety. He's used to being at home, and I convinced him to venture out on a trip to Republic City with me, so don't mind him," Kai said, making it all up as he went along.

"Ah, Republic City. I've heard great things about it. It's very diverse with all different kinds of benders and non benders living together. There's even a group of air benders that live on an island by it, trying to revive the old air nomad culture. I'm sure you'll both have fun there."

Kei glared over at Kai and sighed, taking to looking to the side and watching the scenery go by as the car picked up speed. He'd get him back for the whole "social anxiety homely body" thing later. For now, he was focused on getting as far away from the palace as possible. He knew he wouldn't relax until they reached Republic City, but even then, there was still a huge risk. Apart from the dangers they were currently facing, his thoughts drifted over to the whole Avatar thing. He knew that he could sometimes earth bend on accident, but being the Avatar meant that he'd have to master the other elements as well. He didn't even know what the hell to do for water bending or air bending for that matter. At least earth bending techniques were somewhat similar to fire bending but with more force. He recalled hearing the man say that a group of air benders lived by Republic City, so that was always an option. He'd still have to figure out earth and water, but he at least had an idea on where to go. As he thought about it more and more, he found his eyes slowly closing, and soon, he was dozing off in the back seat, rocking around with the motions of the car.

"Hey, Kei-" Kai stopped when he saw the other fast asleep in the back seat.

"Geez, for being so jittery and nervous, he sure can fall asleep easily."

"Yeah, that's Kei for you," Kai chuckled and went back to casually conversing with the man driving.

A few hours later, Kei was woken up by Kai shaking him by his shoulder.

"Mm, I'm up," he grunted and slowly opened his eyes. "Are we here?"

"Yup, time to get up, sleeping beauty."

Kei could hear the sound of waves crashing against a rocky shore as he stepped out of the car on shaky, stiff legs. For the time being, he clung onto Kai's arm and walked with him like that, gaining a few chuckles and looks from the locals.

"Thank you for everything," Kai said and handed a sack of money over to their driver.

"You boys enjoy Republic City." He smiled, and they went their separate ways.

The two of them walked through the bustling port town. Kei was rather enjoying the fresh sea breeze, not minding his bangs getting tossed around by the wind. People here seemed rather friendly, even though he was aware of how they looked with him clinging to Kai like that, but he still felt rather off balance from sleeping so long in the car. He was aware of how easily that friendliness could change when they hear the news of the Avatar. It was quite obvious that they hadn't yet. No one recognized Kei, and they could walk through the streets with ease. Like before, Kei stayed off to the side, while Kai negotiated a ride on a freighter bound to Republic City. It seemed like forever, but finally, the captain agreed as long as the two of them didn't get in the way of his crew.

"We'll stay out of your way. Thank you."

He motioned for Kei to join him, helping him up the gang plank to the huge freighter. While the ship was getting prepared to leave, Kei chose to stand at the bow overlooking the sea ahead of them, tilting his head up at the light breeze.

"Hey, how about I take you shopping when we get to Republic City? I always see you wearing the same clothes everyday even though I know you can afford more," Kai teased and leaned on the railing next to him.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I guess some new clothes would be nice. I've never really shopped much for myself. I was so busy, you know? Guess I'll have a lot more free time now." Kei thought about all the new possibilities, though he still felt a knot in his stomach thinking about how far away from home he was already. "Do you..know what would look good on me? I don't think I have much of fashion sense. I just went with what other school boys my age wore."

"Yeah, we'll have fun with it. I bet there's a lot of things you'd look cute in," he said with a wink, making the other blush profusely.

"Geez, you always say the dumbest things," he sighed, puffing his cheeks.

"So, I guess you'll have to start learning to bend the other elements since you are the Avatar and all. Any plans for that?" Kai asked, moving onto a different subject to save Kei from further embarrassment.

"Well..that guy said there's a group of air benders who live by Republic City. I'm thinking I could start there if I can get one of them to teach me. I think water and air will be the hardest for me, so I might as well start with the hard ones."

"True, I've always wanted to meet an air bender. I wonder what they're like. Long ago, there used to be a ton of them."

"That is until our 'great Fire Nation' wiped most of them out," Kei tutted. "It's not that I'm not proud of our nation, but man, they've done some messed up stuff. They're still not all that great to be honest."

"Yeah, I suppose you know more than me when it comes to that, but we're moving onto better things now. They won't have you. I'll make sure of that."

"Thanks, Kai."

A few minutes later, they had to migrate below deck as the ship was setting off for its destination. After they were at cruising speed, they emerged again and perched back up at their spot on the bow.

"I've never been on a ship before. I thought it'd be hell with sea sickness and all, but it's actually not that bad," Kei noted, kicking his feet around in enjoyment.

"Yeah, I love boats. They've been around a long time and are still one of the most efficient methods of travel."

The two engaged in casual, relaxed conversation for the rest of the trip, not noticing a group of ships looming on the horizon behind them. On the lead ship, Tosaki was keeping an eye on their target through a pair of binoculars. A woman stood by him, eyes trained on that same ship with her own binoculars.

"Do you see them?" he asked, referring to the two figures on the bow.

"Yes, sir."

"You know what to do. We need to intercept them before that ship reaches Republic City, and there's not much time."

The mountains that Republic City rested between loomed in the distance like vast titans. It wouldn't be long until the ship reached the waters of Republic City's main port.

"Don't fail me. Now go, Shimomura."

In an instant, without any hesitation, she hopped off of the ship's bow down into the water. There was a splash as she dove in but soon resurfaced and jetted forward using the water. She was an avid water bender, and a feared one. She was within the range of the target ship within about ten minutes, sticking close to the sides until she could see Nagai and his accomplice leaning on the railing above. She cursed under her breath as the main port was now visible. It had to be now. With a quick, fluid motion of her arm, a pillar of water shot out from her left side, moving through the air like a serpent. Tendrils that looked like fingers formed and was headed right for them.

When Kei spotted it, he nearly completely froze, feet feeling rather heavy as this arm of water was headed right for them.

"Kai! Get down!"

Instinctively, Kei formed a fist and lunged forward, propelling a fist of flames right into the water hand, instantly evaporating the water. It slowed it down some but didn't stop it altogether.

"Shit, come on, we gotta go!"

Now, Kei was the one pulling Kai along while shooting fire balls at any oncoming water.

"What is that?"

"There's water bender somewhere. It has to be that one that Tosaki always has with him. If that's the case, we're in trouble. I mean, I could say we're fucked by that's less hopeful."

Kei wasn't sure where they could go besides the sea below. They were on a boat, and until they reached the port, there was nowhere else to run. He didn't have much of a choice but to face the bender. He kept Kai behind him as he turned around and kept his hands up in a defensive position.

"I have been trying a new technique. It's beaten every opponent so far..should I give it a try?" Kei asked like there was a choice in the matter.

"Uh, yup, feel free," Kai chuckled nervously and watched with wide eyes as Shimomura ascended up with a pillar of water and stood on the other side of the bow.

"There's no use in fighting. I'm under orders to bring you in, Nagai. That means there's no other option," she said in a low voice, slowly walking closer as her arms were encased with water.

"In my opinion, there's always another option."

Kei glanced around, keeping note of possible escape points just in case. With another step, he took a deep breath and began to bend in a specific sequence, elegantly moving his arms, stopping as he formed them into a triangle right over his chest. Kai stared in amazement as a fiery humanoid figure stood behind Kei.

"Go get her," Kei commanded, moving his arm forward.

The thing suddenly lunged forward toward Shimomura. From time to time, Kei would bend and provide it with more fire to fuel it. Kei still wasn't great at controlling its movements, so they were rather jerky and sporadic, but in this case, that worked in their favor as a distraction. They only needed to keep Shimomura busy while the ship got closer and closer to the port.

Shimomura found herself in an intense match between her and this figure made entirely of fire. It would instantly evaporate any water that reached it as Kei kept feeding it more flames. Finally, she concentrated her efforts into overwhelming it with water, bringing it into a vortex and throwing it into the sea, but when she looked back to where the two boys had been, they were gone.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath and ran over to that side, looking over the ledge.

While that thing had been distracting her, Kei and Kai made a break for it by jumping over into the sea and swam hard for the port. By now, they had reached the far dock with Kai helping Kei up.

 _Failure is not an option._

"I won't fail you."

Seeing her jump into the water and propel herself forward, Kai grabbed Kei's hand and made a break for the city. They were so close already, and he wasn't going to let them get caught so close to their goal.

"Kai," Kei panted, looking back and gasping when he saw her land on the dock.

"She's not going to catch us, Kei. We'll make for the air bender's island. They'll keep us safe, and that's where you wanted to go anyway."

"Okay..I trust you."


	3. Chapter 3

"Kai, do you even know where we're going?" Kei panted as he was pulled along.

He cursed under his breath as he was already getting winded, and Shimomura was only getting closer and closer, not really caring that they were entering the city now. What kept him going was mostly Kai like a steam engine and keeping up the fast pace and the sounds of ice shards whooshing past them. One flew a mere few inches from Kei's head.

"What's there to figure out? It's that huge island over there!" Kai pointed straight ahead to the huge lake they were running to.

"I can see that. But how exactly are we going to cross that lake to get there? A boat? She's a water bender. She'll catch us in an instant."

"Well, I guess we'll have to find a way to lose her."

Kei tutted, not sure how they could even pull that off if not through some kind of miracle. He could tell they were already starting to attract attention, which could work in their favor. He was aware that not many approved of the Fire Lord's decisions in the Fire Nation. He wondered what Shimomura's next move would even be once she caught them. It's not like she could just drag them off. They were in a public street filled with people. People would question it, and the local police as well.

"Kai, I have an idea. Let's stop right here. What is she going to do? Drag me away right here? There are too many people around."

"You sure? I don't think she's stopping," Kai panted, glancing back.

His eyes lit up when he saw a gigantic air bison sitting by the dock to the lake.

"Do what you think is best, but I think I've found our ticket to the island."

As they started to reach the shore and the bison, Kai slowed and let Kei pull him to a stop. As he expected, the moment he turned to face her, he was smacked in the face by an ice shard, making him fall to the ground. He hissed at the sharp stinging sensation across his cheek.

"Kei!" Kai protectively knelt down to shield him from any further attacks, prepared for anything.

"End of the line, Nagai," she said lowly, readying for another attack to brush Kai off.

Kai shut his eyes, preparing himself for what she had in store. After a few seconds of nothing, he slowly opened his eyes and turned around. His eyes went wide when he saw her fallen on the ground glaring up at a person with a staff in their hands.

"I'm not sure what your business is here, but I don't appreciate violence happening around my bison. I suggest you leave before the authorities show up," he said, his voice calm and placid.

Shimomura seemed rather dazed herself, not expecting to be knocked to the ground so quickly.

"You just gonna glare at me all day?"

She glanced over to Kei and Kai before slowly getting back on her feet, cursing under her breath as she turned and walked away, running once she was out of sight. She may not be able to get them now, but they were at least in a known location.

"I'm not even going to ask why you two were being chased by a water bender. Is it a love triangle or did you both stand her up?" he asked as he turned around and walked over to the bison.

With a motion of his hand, the bags he was carrying were whisked into the air on a stream of air and into the saddle on top of the bison, going about his usual business.

"Woah! You're an air bender!" Kai beamed as he helped Kei up onto his feet. "I'm Kai, and this is my friend Kei Nagai. We're visiting Republic City from the Fire Nation."

"I'm Takeshi Kotobuki. You both have made quite an entrance." He glanced to the two of them then the street as he saw distinctive blue and red lights approaching. "Seems you've attracted some attention."

"I know this is asking a lot, but could you help us? We were actually making our way to your island over there. We can discuss it more once we're in a safe place, but let's just say there's some not so good people after my friend, Kei."

"You'll have to give me more than that. Why should I help two strangers that are causing more trouble than I want right now?" he sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the bison. His light blue arrow tattoo was distinct against his forehead as a bit of sunlight from a small break in the clouds shone down on them.

"I'm the avatar," Kei said simply. "I think it's known that the next avatar would be born as a fire bender. They're after me because it was found out that I am the avatar. They're more limited now that we've reached Republic City, but Tosaki has other connections he can use. So, please, take us with you to the island. I'll have to learn air bending eventually."

Takeshi's face didn't change much though his eyes did widen a bit. He had heard the master talking about the next avatar, though it was hard to believe that this pipsqueak was it.

"Alright, but I'm going to have the master test you to make sure you really are the avatar. There's a specific test that us air benders use."

He suddenly launched them up and into the saddle with a rush of air followed by himself. Kei and Kai groaned as they untangled their limbs, though the bison taking off only made that harder. Takeshi sat at the front of the saddle nonchalantly and slipped a cigarette out.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Kai chirped, leaning over the edge of the saddle with a wide grin.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as the cool wind whipped past his face. Takeshi wore an amused look when he heard him, taking a long drag of the cigarette.

"I didn't know air nomads were allowed to smoke," Kei commented, coughing whenever the smoke blew in his face.

"These are modern times. There isn't much we can't do. Maybe the Fire Lord needs to catch up with the times too," Takeshi chuckled and purposefully blew the smoke in his direction with air bending.

By the time they landed, Kei was coughing and ready to get on solid ground again as he immediately hopped off, though he wasn't prepared for the drop and ended up falling on his face.

"I would've air bended you down, you know," Takeshi said simply as he floated down gracefully and helped Kai down. "This way."

Kai helped Kei up who wore a glare directed at Takeshi as he led them through the main temple.

"Put a shroud of mist around the island. We may get unwelcome company," he told an air bender passing by.

While Kei focused on what was ahead, Kai glanced around in amazement at the new architecture of the temple, entirely foreign to him who had lived in the Fire Nation all his life. Takeshi held a hand out to them, signaling them to wait there once they reached a large courtyard. He bowed to the air bender who sat cross legged in the middle of the stone garden.

"Master, I have brought someone here who claims to be the current avatar. I'm not sure if I believe it, but he is from the Fire Nation," he said as he sat with him.

The master glanced up to Kei and Kai and signed to Takeshi "which one is claiming this?"

"The dark haired one with the perpetual scowl on his face."

He motioned for Kei to step forward. Kei reluctantly did so, giving a little bow, though he wasn't quite sure what the proper respects here were. With the Fire Lord, unless told to do so, you weren't allowed to look at him. This seemed much more casual and relaxed than in the throne room at the palace, but Kei still proceeded with caution and sat on the large flat stone in front of the two.

"The master is mute. I'll interpret the sign language for you," Takeshi said as the other set out a set of strange objects in front of Kei.

Kei recognized them as toys that children in the Fire Nation often played with, especially near the palace.

"What are these for?"

"It's how we determine if someone is the avatar. Among air nomads, it would be toys we're familiar with. Since you're from the Fire Nation, it's toys from there, specifically the palace area," Takeshi said simply. "You simply pick which ever one speaks to you."

"Besides Kotobuki telling you the bit he knows about me, how do you know I came from the royal city?" Kei asked to the master.

He moved his hands elegantly as he signed his answer.

"He is in touch with the Spirit World. He was told of your coming, so he already knows a lot about you. He knows you're the avatar, but this is simply to make sure."

Kei took a deep breath before glancing down to the toys. He fondly remembered playing with the one on the right with Eri when they were little. That was before she was bed ridden. It brought a small smile to his face as he reached out and touched that one. The master nodded and soon put the items away.

"Hmm, seems you were telling the truth. So, can you bend anything else besides fire yet?" Takeshi asked, loosely interpreting what the master was asking.

"I earth bended only once, and that was entirely on accident. It was a life or death situation, and that's how I got found out. That's all though. I know nothing when it comes to air or water bending. I was hoping..maybe I could start learning air bending here..if you'll have me. I know I haven't done much to prove myself yet, but Kai and I have been on the run since a few days ago, and we're tired. We'd greatly appreciate if we could take shelter here for tonight and discuss plans tomorrow. I know I can't stay a secret from the world forever, and Republic City is the best place for me to do that. However, it'll be harder for people to believe me if I can't at least successfully bend one or two other elements. I'm open to any training." Kei bowed lowly, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

Honestly, right now, he could care less about all this avatar stuff. He didn't choose to be the avatar, but that couldn't be helped now. What mattered most now was him and Kai having a safe place to stay for the night. His heart pounded as he waited for an answer, not daring to look up.

"He says you and your friend can stay here for now. There is much work to be done with you, but for now, rest is needed." He turned to the master and bowed. "Yes, I'll show them to a guest room."

Kei was in the process of sitting up when Takeshi pulled him up by the back of his shirt.

"Come on, I'll show you guys to a guest room."

"Alright, alright. I can walk on my own!" Kei straightened his shirt, grumbling to himself as he followed after Takeshi joined by Kai.

He breathed a sigh of relief once they were brought to a room with two beds overlooking the misty lake outside. The lights from Republic City could barely be made out through the fog, coming through as shrouded orbs of distant light. Quite the opposite to Kei, Kai ran over to his bed and jumped onto it.

"Wow! Hard to believe we're in an actual air nomad temple. Do you think they'll agree to teach you air bending?" he asked, beginning to strip off his clothes until he was just in a tank top and some boxers.

Kei peered over and quickly looked somewhere else when he saw what he was doing with a hint of blush on his cheeks.

"Well, I am the avatar I suppose. I don't think they'd outright deny me, unless they deem me unteachable, which could possibly happen," he sighed as he did the same as Kai but quickly hid himself under the covers. "Why me? I mean..out of everyone else in the Fire Nation, why did it have to be me?"

"Well..fate, I guess? It's just how things worked out, Kei. We'll just have to roll with it. I think we're doing a pretty good job so far. I mean, we made it this far to our goal of Republic City. I'm sure there are a lot of people that are just waiting for the next avatar to appear."

"And what if I don't want to appear as the 'avatar?' This is all just so inconvenient and annoying."

"Let's just get some sleep for now, Kei. We'll figure out more in the morning. I did promise you I'd take you shopping to get some new clothes after all. As long as we stay in public places, we'll be fine," Kai said, trying his best to reassure him.

"You did promise that, didn't you?" he chuckled and pulled the covers over himself more.

Kai did the same, glancing over at Kei before turning off the lamp by their beds.

"Goodnight, Kei. Sleep well."

Kei watched as Kai's eyes slowly went shut and the steady rise and fall of his chest as the other quickly drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight, Kai," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Kei woke up to an empty bed across from him where Kai had been sleeping when he drifted off last night. All that had happened was still a blur to him: the chase from that insanely good water bender, the air benders, and the fact that they had actually made it to Republic City. Kei half expected them to get caught mid-way, being all too familiar with the military might of the Fire Nation, though he knew all of this was far from over. With a heavy sigh, he finally pulled himself out of bed, enjoying the bit of warmth from the sunshine filtering in through the blinds. He frowned as he remembered that he had absolutely no idea how to navigate this place. He could recall somewhat the route from the main courtyard to this room, but that was about it. Now, Kai had run off somewhere, most likely with that air bender who liked to smoke. Kai really had seemed to take a liking to him. A few minutes later, Kei finally made himself get out of bed with a small grunt and tentatively peeked outside of the room. As far as he could tell, the hallway was empty besides the sounds of a conversation and footsteps that sounded like it was a few halls down. He breathed a sigh of relief when one of those voices he recognized as Kai's. Feeling more sure of where he wanted to go, he stepped out and followed the sound of the voices. Even though he knew he was in a safe place, he instinctively kept his guard up. Realistically, the only one he actually trusted here was Kai. He was still on edge around the air benders, a natural sort of strategy he had learned well from his mother. He kept his eyes towards the ground as he walked close to the wall and well out of the way of anyone who came his way. His stomach audibly growled as he rounded the corner and smelled something delicious right away.

Kai and the air bender were sitting on edge of the walkway that ran outside, dangling their legs over the edge and eating what looked to be eggs and rice.

"Oh, hey, Kei!" Kai beckoned him over to sit to his right. "I got you a bowl too. I figured you'd be up soon."

"Thanks, Kai," Kei said after standing there for a few seconds and looking quite dazed.

He accepted the small bowl with a smile as he sat next to Kai, though he immediately grimaced at the distinct smell of a cigarette.

"Don't tell me you're smoking with him?" he sighed as he slowly started eating the eggs and rice.

He glanced over to see Takeshi sitting by Kai with the lit cigarette sitting in-between his fingers.

"Oh, I promise I didn't smoke a lot of it, Kei. You know Takeshi's ability to bend the smoke with his air bending is amazing. He can do so many cool tricks!"

Kei gave a polite nod as an acknowledgement as he ate rather quickly. He supposed he hadn't really eaten much yesterday now that he thought about it. They had been a bit busy..mostly running for their lives. They had barely escaped the water bender. Kei was rather surprised himself that he was able to use that humanoid fire figure technique. He had really only started perfecting it recently, and it was still rather hard to control. It was easier to just let it loose on the opponent, which worked well for them as a distraction.

"Kaito tells me you're one of the best fire benders he knows. Is this true? You're not from the royal family, are you?" Takeshi asked as he took a drag.

"Royal family? Of course not. I'm just the son of a well known doctor. She's basically the personal doctor to the royal family, and I was going to follow in her footsteps..but obviously that changed with my being avatar and all. I took an interest in military strategy and managed to get in on military meetings. I suppose I was one of the best when it came to sparring, though you air benders will be the judge of that. You're helping me with air bending after all."

"Which will be interesting given your temperament. I'll show you where to go after breakfast. The master will be waiting."

"Don't forget that I'm taking you clothes shopping today too, Kei," Kai chirped, playfully nudging him.

"It's not that I don't want to, but how do you plan on getting to the shops without getting spotted? Pretty sure Tosaki is still going to be out there. I hear he has connections with the Dai Li, and I know he's going to utilize that," Kei said with a mouthful of food, finishing up the bowl.

"Easy, we'll take Takeshi with us. He is a master air bender after all. If anyone tries to mess with us, we got you and him. I'd say fire and air is a pretty good combo," Kai said, exhuming confidence as usual.

"As usual, you're much too confident in your little plans, but if you say so, I won't stop you."

"We're starting a new life in Republic City. We should treat ourselves, and I promise I'll be careful as long as you are too," Kai said, patting his back with his usual bright grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Kei chuckled slightly and placed his bowl off to the side.

He patiently waited for the other two to finish, taking deep breaths and very much enjoying the fresh air of the island. Personally, he thought Kai was being much too cheerful for the situation, though that certainly was Kai. No matter what the circumstances, the guy was always so happy and would go out of his way to cheer others up. Kei could recall a few times when Kai had even managed to cheer him up a bit.

Soon, Takeshi was leading the two around through the grounds towards the training area. The two looked around in awe at the beautiful gardens and huge pastures where the air bison rested and ate.

"Ooh, I hope we get to ride an air bison again. That was such a great thrill!" Kai said, getting excited just thinking about it.

"That thing made me want to throw up. No thanks," Kei grumbled, thinking about being basically yanked onto that saddle.

"You can get reacquainted with my bison later when we leave for the city. She's quite sweet actually. You were just a rude stranger to her at first, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you," Takeshi said, chuckling to himself.

The training area was filled with different sorts of contraptions used by the air benders. One was an obstacle course like structure of big wooden fans that could be easily moved by air. Kei and Kai watched in awe as Takeshi was used as the example. Kei could hardly believe someone could move like that. It was like..the wind. His body moved around the moving fans effortlessly and walked out the other side unscathed.

"I..hope you don't expect me to do that," Kei said quickly, gulping as the other air benders looked to him once Takeshi made it through.

The master air bender began to sign something, so Kei looked to Takeshi for the translation.

"Of course not. That test is more advanced. We wouldn't just ask a fire bender to attempt that, you'd end up setting fire to it and destroying the whole thing. We'll start by you showing us what you can do, fire bending wise."

Kei nodded, taking deep breaths as he took a few steps back to give himself more room. He started off with the basics, moves he had known since he was a child. He was known for his flames being rather intense, beads of sweat already starting to form on his forehead and around his temples.

"Geez, I can see why the Fire Nation would be so adamant on keeping him, even I'd be weary on going toe to toe with him," Takeshi said with a whistle.

"Just wait, he hasn't showed off his signature move he's been working on yet."

"Signature move?"

With another deep breath to ground himself, Kei closed his eyes and went through the familiar motions until he felt an intense heat right behind him. That's how he always knew it was there. Judging by the reactions when he opened his eyes, he was successful. He prayed he'd be able to control it and nothing would get destroyed.

"Well, there you go. That's about the extent of my fire bending."

"Uh, Kei, that thing is starting to lean a bit," Kai said, pointing at the figure behind him.

"Well, you know I don't have like ultimate control over it yet."

Kei gasped as it suddenly booked it right towards the air bender training contraption, leaving a trail of fiery foot prints. Quickly, Kei dissipated it with a quick motion of his arm.

"Yeah, I really need to work on that. Sorry."

Takeshi looked over when the master started to sign.

"He says he's never seen anything like that before. It's almost like you created a being with fire. He wonders if the same can be done with air."

"Possibly. It may be a bit different, but I'm sure it can be done," Kei said, wiping his brow as he walked back over to them.

With approval, Takeshi along with a few other air benders were tasked with teaching Kei the basics. As he started some beginner techniques, he found the breathing and different movements the most difficult. Until he was too frustrated to continue, he managed to bend a small stream of air though it was quite wimpy compared to what the air benders could do.

"I'm actually impressed. I wasn't expecting you to be able to do any air bending. Guess you really are the avatar after all," Takeshi teased as he helped Kei back up from falling on his ass.

"Haha, well, my energy is basically spent in terms of bending for today. We can do what Kai suggested and go shopping," he sighed in frustration, whispering a little "thanks" as he was helped up.

"And that means you'll get to meet my bison again. I assure you she's in a much better mood today," he said with a wink and lead Kai and Kei over that way.

"Well, lucky me."

Shimomura was nursing a small burn on her arm, pressing cool water to it and keeping it close to her hand with her water bending. She bowed when she noticed Tosaki and the prince approaching.

"My apologies, but they got away over to the air bender island," she said, indicating the large island in the middle of the lake. "An air bender chose to help them."

"That's alright. That actually works out in our favor. There in one area where we can keep an eye on them," Tosaki said, pulling out a small pair of binoculars as he looked over in that direction.

Shimomura breathed a sigh of relief since the whole "failure is not an option" talk. She looked over to Tanaka who was currently looking around at all the sky scrapers in awe.

"Prince, it's only your second time coming to Republic City since you were a kid, correct?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is. Geez, this place seems even bigger than the last time. It just keeps growing."

"It's best you stay close by my side. I've heard of a few..extremist groups popping up here. It's best you stay away from any of those. I've informed my allies in the Dai Li on the situation, and they should be here by tomorrow," Tosaki said, looking over the message he had received from them earlier.

"You're bringing the Dai Li into this?" Shimomura asked with a skeptical look. "Is that wise? They may be a secret police force, but they're still connected to the Earth Kingdom and the Queen."

"It's only a few members, not enough to set anyone off. It's best we find Nagai before he gains a political presence as the avatar. That's why now is the best time. As far as we know, he can only fire bend. The earth bending done was by accident. We need to get him before he starts to master the other elements. For now, we'll choose a stake out location with a view of the island. That way, we can keep an eye on them. As always, our top priority is the prince's safety on top of all this."

"Of course. I'll make sure he's kept safe," Shimomura bowed.

"I'm going to find us a suitable location to stay at. Why don't you take him sightseeing or wherever he wants to go. Leave the preparations to me," Tosaki said before going their separate ways and leaving Shimomura with Tanaka.

"Lead the way, prince. We'll go wherever you want to."

Kou's ears immediately pricked at the mention of the avatar. He could hear two other Dai Li members discussing the subject fervently through the wall of the training room he was in. He cautiously glanced around before pressing his ear to the wall and eavesdropping.

"Yeah, that Tosaki is requesting a few Dai Li agents to Republic City where the new avatar currently is. Sounds pretty exciting, huh?"

"Hell yeah, I hope I get picked for the team."

 _The avatar.._

Kou nearly yelped out loud in surprise as the door to the training room was opened suddenly.

"Nakano, meeting!" a voice barked before retreating back into the hallway.

"Oh, uh, coming!"

Kou didn't anticipate getting picked for this. He was good in a fight, sure, but when it came to the ruthlessness the Dai Li was known for, he definitely wasn't the right pick. He was usually made fun of and scolded for being too soft. He had only joined the Dai Li out of necessity for needing some sort of job. He was rather good at earth bending and had a decent stamina, so he excelled through the training, but he still held a rather low rank.

As he walked into the meeting room, the excitement in the air was palpable. The room was filled with chattering and whispers about the avatar and rumors that were already spreading. Kou chose a spot towards the back as always, not liking to stand out anyway. As soon as the leader started to talk in his usual booming voice, Kou immediately started to day dream. He knew he wasn't going to get picked anyway, so his eyes focused on a nearby wall. That was all well and good until his heart skipped a beat at his name being called suddenly. It had been the very last name on the list, but it was read loud and clear: Kou Nakano. The faces around him wore smiles and clapped as they urged him forward towards the front with the others. Kou still felt like he was in a day dream as he made his way over there and stood at the end of the line of six others. Everything sounded muffled to him like he had thick feathers over his ears. He was told that they'd be leaving for Republic City tonight so they'd get there by tomorrow, and the chosen were sent off to pack their things up. On the way back to his room, he heard a multitude of "congratulations" enough to only add to the numbness he felt. He knew he should feel honored, but he couldn't help but feel like he was going to puke at the same time.

 _It's a high honor. You'll do great._

He kept telling himself as he packed his things and was soon on the transport with the others heading for Republic City with an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

Kou gulped as the ship finally arrived in Republic City's main port, following the others once the gang plank was set down. The sun shone bright, and Kou looked around in awe with everything he saw. The buildings were huge. He had never been to Republic City before, but he had certainly heard many great things about it. One thing he had been most excited to see in person was the air benders' island that lay in the middle of the lake in the city. He was a bit disappointed to see the island veiled in a thick fog, making seeing any part of it impossible, though there were odd little instances of a glow from within.

"Is the island usually veiled in fog?" Kou asked the other Dai Li member who had been here before.

"No, not usually. Not sure what those air benders are up to."

"Strange, it's almost like..someone's firebending in there."

Kou along with the other Dai Li agents were led to a large building downtown and into a meeting room where a blonde man with glasses along with the Fire Nation's prince waited inside. Kou gulped, remembering the stories he had heard about them. He remembered the one in the glasses as Tosaki. He visited the Earth Kingdom and the Dai Li often, often asking favors from their leader. At the time, Kou had mostly been in training, not having gone on real missions yet, but he knew some things that the Dai Li did weren't..exactly pretty. It's not like he really had a choice in doing anything else. He had done poorly in academics and dropped out of a lot of schools. One thing he was good at was his earth bending and using his raw power to his advantage. In fact, he had soared through the first few exams to get into the Dai Li. He wasn't the smartest when it came to strategy, but he could provide muscle and the physical strength. He assumed that's why he was chosen for this mission. He only had to follow the plan that Tosaki was about to debrief them on.

"Welcome, Dai Li agents. You were hand picked by me for your various skills and strengths. The Dai Li are best known for their secrecy when they carry out their work. This information is to stay between us and not leave this room to others outside. I know rumors have already been circulating among the nations, but the Fire Nation is working hard to keep the details a secret. The news is this: the next avatar has been found within the Fire Nation. His name is Kei Nagai. He and an accomplice escaped to Republic City. Currently, we know they are hiding out on the air benders' island. Right now, our hands are tied. We can't just intrude upon the island or do anything that would harm the air benders. It would be an outright offense to the air benders, but we know they have to leave the island eventually, though it is dangerous. As we speak, I'm sure Nagai is training with them to learn and master air bending. What was convenient about the situation was Nagai only knew fire bending, though he's quite good at it. The more elements he learns to master, the more formidable he'll become. Time is of the essence. We'll keep a close eye on the island and strike when they leave it. Any questions?"

"Um, the avatar is certainly an important figure. Shouldn't we maybe work things out peacefully?" Kou blurted, raising his hand.

"Kou Nakano, correct? I know you're new to the Dai Li, so you must not know a lot about how these things work. The avatar is still very much important politically. Whoever has the avatar has the power. We must capture the avatar to make sure he's on our side. If he's left on his own, who knows what he'll decide to do. He might even try to use the powers he has as the avatar to do terrible things. This is to ensure that the avatar will go down the right path, understand?" Tosaki asked, keeping his voice even and calm.

"We're..not going to hurt him, are we?" Tanaka asked, touching Tosaki's shoulder. "I know this is important to my father, but this is the avatar we're talking about."

"We'll do what we must. If we have to hurt him a bit, then fine. I take responsibility for letting him escape this far. I will make sure he doesn't get any farther. If the air benders must get involved in this, then so be it."

Kou merely nodded in response, moving his gaze to his knees.

"Understood, sir."

The rest of the meeting was more basic information on what they knew along with what their jobs were. They were told to change into casual street clothes to blend in with everyone else. They'd be staying in the rooms of this building for the duration of the mission. Kou breathed a sigh of relief once they were dismissed, wiping off a bit of sweat from his forehead. So far, things seemed rather dismal. As he was walking out, he perked his head up when he saw a woman approaching. Her clothing was blue and resembled the water tribe a bit. He found himself blushing when their eyes met and she smiled slightly at him.

"Uh, hello..don't think we've met," Kou stammered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, you must be one of the Dai Li Mr. Tosaki chose. My name is Izumi Shimomura," she said with a slight bow. "I'll be helping out with this mission."

"Um, Kou..Kou Nakano. Nice to meet you," he mumbled and turned around and went to find his room before he became too much of a blushing mess.

Kou was settling into the new room, changing into some comfy yet form fitting pants along with a green short sleeved shirt. He was just fixing his hair in the mirror when another Dai Li, knocked on the door frame.

"Hey, Nakano, they want us out there. Nagai and his accomplice have been spotted leaving air bender island."

"Woah, really? That was quick," he said as he ran after the other. "Any details?"

"They're accompanied by an air bender. They took a sky bison and now they're walking around downtown. Orders are to simply follow them for now."

Kou nodded and took some deep breaths as he went with two others then split off once they were outside.

"You sure this is the best idea? We're safest on the island. Here, we're basically fair game," Kei sighed as he followed after Kai and Takeshi.

The sun was getting progressively hotter, and Kei found himself wiping his brow every few minutes. Maybe some lighter summer clothes would be nice. He was thankful for the cool breeze and whipped past them every so often.

"You have me with you, plus I'd say you're basically a master at fire bending. You shouldn't worry so much," Takeshi said simply, walking next to Kai.

"Come here, Kei," Kai said, smiling at him warmly.

Kei rolled his eyes but walked up to him, blushing lightly as Kai wrapped his arm around Kei's.

"There, now you're safe by my side, nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, yeah," Kei muttered, looking off to the side so his face couldn't be seen.

"Are you guys like..together or something?" Takeshi asked as he glanced over to the side at them.

"Kei is my good friend," Kai said simply with a content smile.

"I see," Takeshi nodded, though he still wore a perplexed expression.

A few minutes later, Takeshi led them to a clothing store, waving to the shop owner as they walked in.

"This store carries various styles of different fashions. I'm sure you two can find clothes you like here."

While he let them wander around, Takeshi leaned against the wall by the door, keeping an eye on anyone that went through the door.

"I'll leave the fashion sense for me up to you, Kai. You were always best at knowing what looks good on me."

"Leave it to me!"

Kei chuckled a bit to himself as he took a seat at the bench by the changing room, waiting for Kai to make his selections, kicking his feet idly. About ten minutes later, Kai was already running back to him with a few clothes.

"I found a few things for you," he chirped and proceeded to show them all to him.

He had put one outfit together with a teal long sleeved shirt along with some denim shorts that went down to about his mid thighs, some fitting jeans with a red flannel shirt and a thin, light weight gray one to wear underneath, gray cropped pants that went a bit below his knees, and a crop t-shirt with a big "No Thanks" reading across it. Kei looked over the clothes with moderate interest.

"And you're sure these'll look good on me?"

"I'm absolutely sure. I got them with you in mind. How about you try them on while I pick out some clothes for myself?"

Kei nodded and went into the one changing room the store had.

"Thank you," he said softly before going inside.

As always, Kai knew exactly what size to get for everything to fit him right. He decided to wear the blue shirt and shorts outfit out, picking out some black sneakers as well and checked out with Kai.

"I, um, like your new outfit," he said with a gulp as he saw Kai wearing the rather tight Henley shirt and pants.

"Looks like that outfit suits you as well," he chuckled and walked back over to Takeshi once they were done.

The three of them then set out to find somewhere to eat unaware that they were currently being followed. Kou was the one closest to them as he followed them down the street, staring at them curiously.


	6. Chapter 6

"That looks good on you, Kei," Kai said, glancing over at him as they walked down the street.

Kei had walked out of the store with the short sleeved red flannel on with a black tank top underneath along with the new dark pants.

"You think so?" he asked shyly, smiling a bit as he wrapped an arm around Kai's.

He remembered hearing people around the royal city gossiping about the two of them since they were kids, wondering if the two would end up together. He supposed they did have a sort of natural affinity. That was until his mom made him cut ties to devote all his time to studying medicine and attending the royal meetings. He had missed being able to hang out with Kai like this.

"Of course I do. Someone has to help you with your fashion sense," he teased.

"You're too kind."

"You two are sickingly sweet," Takeshi sighed, swinging his staff around as they walked.

"Oh, sorry, do you need us to tone it down a bit?" Kai asked with his usual genuine grin.

"No need. It's actually rather entertaining. I hardly meet outsiders besides when I go into the city."

He pulled out a cigarette, nonchalantly smoking as they walked down the street. His eyes followed a man whom he recognized from the street they were just on. It's not like it was entirely unusual to see some of the same people, but he noticed how he kept glancing over at the every few seconds as if he was trying to keep track of them. Takeshi had known better from his life before airbender island that it was far from being a coincidence. Since Kai already had Kei by his arm, he grabbed Kai's shoulder and steered them around the corner. He sighed when he spotted another one looking right at them. From the looks of their formation, they looked to be closing them in.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kai asked in a low voice when he noticed Takeshi looking around.

"They're trying to close us in, probably trying to get us to a place where there aren't so many people," he said, gripping the staff a bit tighter.

Kei wrapped his arm around Kai's a bit more as he looked around too. He spotted the ones that Takeshi was keeping an eye on and tightened his fist. They were safe as long as they were out in public, weren't they?

"We just can't let them corner us. They're most likely trying to lead us to a certain spot like an alley or somewhere more isolated. We should get back to my bison as soon as possible."

Things were going rather smoothly for now as they wound around through the streets, though Kai noticed there was always someone looking over in their direction, usually walking on the opposite side of the street. Kei felt a familiar kind of closed in feeling as he spotted more of them. It was an odd tightening sensation he always felt around his neck whenever his stress started to increase or he felt trapped. It wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, but it helped him in many situations to know when to get out. He breathed a sigh of relief once he recognized the street they had walked down earlier to get to the shop. The shimmering waters of the lake peeked through the buildings. Takeshi's bison was just on the other side, though the tightening in his throat didn't go away. He found himself clinging onto Kai's arm more and more.

"They're all super close. We need to be careful even though our way out isn't that far," he said quietly to the other two. "Feels like a noose is tightening around my neck."

"Oh, that is serious. Kei usually only feels that when there's danger nearby or a tense situation," Kai remarked.

Kei was just about to say something else when someone suddenly darted out from the corner they were just about to round, knocking Takeshi over followed by Kei and Kai. Instantly, Takeshi held up his staff in a defensive position with the other two behind him. Kei looked the stranger up and down. He looked to be around their age with reddish hair. Takeshi scowled when he noticed the small pendant around his neck with the symbol of the Earth Kingdom along with a special bit on it that he was familiar with.

"Back up, Dai Li agent before I have to do anything rash," he said in warning as he circled around him.

"Um, look, I don't want to have to do anything rash either. Can we just talk about this?" the young Dai Li agent asked, holding his hands up slightly.

Takeshi gave him a skeptical look as he kicked a bit of air at him that sent him falling on his butt.

"You don't sound like you're in the Dai Li. Dai Li are supposed to be ruthless and know their mission. So, what's yours?"

While he was interrogating Kou, Kei glanced over his shoulder and noticed the others from before coming up from behind.

"Shit, we gotta go," he whispered to Kai.

His eyes widened as he saw one thrust his fist forward, and the ground opened up and was going straight for them. Reacting quickly, Kei grabbed onto Kai's shoulders and lunged to the side, getting them out of its path. There were screams as the other civilians who had been walking around ran and got out of there as fast as they could. The sudden earth bending was causing a panic quickly. With him and Kai out of sight for the time being, the other Dai Li agents were going straight for Takeshi with murderous intent. Kou was debating whether or not to defend the air bender as he saw the others going for him. He was just about to raise his fist up to defend when one of them was shot down by a stream of flames.

In a last minute decision, Kei tutted and jumped out from where he and Kai had hid, starting to take them down one by one with flame shots to the back. Takeshi followed his motions and helped out by guiding some of the stray ones with his airbending and effectively feeding the flames.

"Kaito!" Takeshi called, pulling out an item he had been holding onto and tossing the other a pair of gloves. "If you turn them on, they're electrified."

Kai wore a confident smirk as the gloves lit up with the electricity and managed to land a few hits on the stray ones. Between the three of them, they managed to chase them off besides Kou who still sat there rather shocked as he watched it all unfold.

"That wasn't too bad. I thought the Dai Li were more formidable," Kai panted as he joined the other two.

"They're supposed to be, but all of them looked pretty young. They probably sent the new ones after us as a test, and now we have this one." Kei gestured to Kou. "What should we do with him? Send him off or take him with us?"

"He might know something useful. Let's take him with us," Takeshi said as he used some old rope to tie Kou's wrists together. "Up you go. We have a bison waiting for us."

With a grunt, Kou got up on his feet and was pushed forward by Takeshi. Once things had calmed down, people started to wander the street again, assessing all the damage done. The street was a mess with upturned earth from the earth benders and huge singe marks on the buildings from the fire bending.

"My, aren't they destructive?" A man whistled as he walked along the street with a small group of people who were placing flyers up. "These benders think they can just get away with all this damage? They should be held accountable, don't you think?" he asked passersby. "Come to my rally tonight. We give nonbenders power, and I promise you that I have a way to deal with these benders where they won't be a nuisance any longer."

People glanced at the flyers as they were given to them and soon the older man in the hat and his group were gone down the next street.

"So, Nagai and his accomplices are more skilled than we initially thought," Tosaki sighed as he looked at the pitiful young Dai Li members. "This was just a test anyway, though I didn't anticipate them taking one of you, though I should've expected it from Nagai. I heard he is rather gifted when it comes to strategy."

Tosaki wrote down a few notes in his memo pad, tapping the pen against his temple as he thought of what they should try next.

"Um, Tosaki? Sorry to bother you. I know you're busy and all," Tanaka, lightly knocked on the door and peeked in since it was open.

"It's no trouble at all, Prince Tanaka. What is it?" he asked and dismissed the others.

"Well, it's just that I haven't been to Republic City since I was a child. Since you're leading most of the capture strategies, I was wondering if it'd be alright if I walked around the city a bit."

"That sounds fine, but take Shimomura with you as a guard," he said and gestured to Izumi who bowed and joined Tanaka's side.

"I'd be happy to accompany you, prince."

Once that was taken care of, they left Tosaki to his planning and walked the streets of downtown Republic City. As they passed a wall of flyers, Tanaka couldn't help but curiously glance at them.

"Satou..nonbenders…interesting. I didn't know the whole bender/nonbender thing was that serious here."

"It seems that there have been a few conflicts. After all, benders make up most of the elites here. I suppose it's natural for nonbenders to feel that it's unfair that they don't get as much representation. If you're interested, we could go. It looks like the rally is tonight. You'll be safe as long as you're with me."

"It would make for an interesting story to bring back to the Fire Nation. Sure, let's do it."


End file.
